Systems and methods for managing batteries

ABSTRACT

Method and associated system for managing and/or authenticating an energy storage device. The method includes receiving a first portion of identification information stored in a data storage attached to the energy storage device ( 401 ); analyzing the first portion of the identification information at least partially based on a device identification of the device ( 403 ); updating a second portion of the identification information stored in the data storage attached to the energy storage device based on a result of analyzing the first portion of the identification information ( 405 ).

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/875,379, filed on Jul. 17, 2019, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology is directed to systems and methods for managingexchangeable energy storage devices. More particularly, the presenttechnology is directed to systems and methods for enabling multipleenergy-storage-exchange stations to operate in various operationalmodes.

BACKGROUND

Some electric vehicles are powered by exchangeable batteries. When auser brings a depleted battery to a battery-exchange station forexchange, before providing a sufficiently-charged battery to the user,it is important for the station to make sure that thesufficiently-charged battery is to be used in an authorized vehicle.However, under certain circumstances, when the station provides thesufficiently-charged battery, the station cannot verify whether thevehicle that to be powered by the sufficiently-charged battery isauthorized or not. For example, there can be a plurality of vehiclesunder a vehicle-sharing program. The vehicle sharing program enables auser to pick up a vehicle at one location, and then leave the vehicle,with a depleted battery, at a random location. Under such circumstances,a service crew (or an authorized person) may need to pick up a fewsufficiently-charged batteries from various battery-exchange stations(e.g., for vehicles to be shared with depleted batteries) withoutknowing which vehicles are going to be powered by thesesufficiently-charged batteries. Therefore, it is challenging toimplement desirable security mechanisms for the batteries. As a result,it is advantageous to have an improved system and method to address theforegoing issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the disclosed technology will be described and explainedthrough the use of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a station in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology.

FIGS. 4-7 are flowcharts illustrating methods in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology.

The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, thedimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be expanded orreduced to help improve the understanding of various embodiments.Similarly, some components and/or operations may be separated intodifferent blocks or combined into a single block for the purposes ofdiscussion of some of the embodiments. Moreover, although specificembodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings anddescribed in detail below, one skilled in the art will recognize thatmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives will fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In this description, references to “some embodiments,” “one embodiment,”or the like, mean that the particular feature, function, structure orcharacteristic being described is included in at least one embodiment ofthe disclosed technology. Occurrences of such phrases in thisspecification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Onthe other hand, the embodiments referred to are not necessarily mutuallyexclusive.

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for managingenergy storage devices such as batteries, ultra-capacitors,super-capacitors, etc. The energy storage device can be coupled to adata storage (e.g., a memory, a flush drive, etc.), and the data storagestores identification information corresponding to the energy storagedevice.

The identification information is used to identify and/or authenticatean authorized vehicle (or device) that the energy storage device isauthorized to provide power to. For example, the identificationinformation of the energy storage device is verified or authenticatedprior to enabling the same to provide power to the authorized vehicle.The verification or authentication can be done by a processor of thevehicle, a portable device of a user, or a controller attached to theenergy storage device.

The energy storage device can be stored in and charged by a station forexchange. For example, a user can go to the station and exchange adepleted energy storage device for a sufficiently-charged one. Afterreceiving the depleted energy storage device, the station uses theidentification information of the depleted energy storage device toidentify the user who brings it the station and verify that the vehiclethat has been powered by the depleted energy storage device is anauthorized one. Before providing the sufficiently-charged energy storagedevice to the user, the station copies the identification information ofthe depleted energy storage device to the sufficiently-charged energystorage device. In the forging example, the station operates under a“normal” mode (or first operational mode). In an area of service (e.g.,a city, a neighborhood, a district, etc.), there are multiple stationsin operation.

Under certain circumstances, the station can be asked to provide asufficiently-charged energy storage device without first receiving adepleted energy storage device. For example, a vehicle sharing or rentalplan can allow vehicles to be picked up or dropped at random locations.In such cases, there is a need to make sure that the energy storagedevices in the randomly-dropped vehicles have sufficient power for theupcoming users to use. For example, a “milk run” can be scheduled for aservice crew to pick up one or more sufficiently-charged energy storagedevices at one or more stations, and then deliver the same to therandomly-dropped vehicles for exchange. In such cases, when the servicecrew picks up the sufficiently-charged energy storage devices at thestations, the present technology enables the stations to operate under a“milk run” mode, which allows the stations to providesufficiently-charged energy storage devices without writing theidentification information from inserted energy storage devices to thesesufficiently-charged energy storage devices (which is required duringthe “normal” mode).

By this arrangement, the present technology enables multiple stations tobe operated under either “normal” mode or “milk run” mode at the sametime. Advantages include that the multiple stations can provide serviceto users with various energy subscription plans (e.g., a personal plan,a family plan, a corporate plan, a vehicle-sharing plan, avehicle-rental plan, etc.).

In some embodiments, the identification information can be a chunk ofcharacter/number string (e.g., x123y456z789, &98%76$21, etc.). In suchembodiments, the identification information can be identified as awhole. In some embodiments, the identification information can includemore than one portions. For example, the identification information caninclude a first portion to indicate a group that the authorized vehiclebelongs to. For example, the first portion can be a “prefix” or “ABC”indicating that the group is “ABC” vehicle-sharing fleet. Theidentification information can include a second portion to specify theparticularly authorized vehicle. For example, the second portion can be“123456” which is a “unique serial number” for the authorized vehicle.As another example, the second portion can be a “universal identifier”such as “000000” or “888888,” temporarily filled for a group ofauthorized vehicles. In another example, the second portion can be“null” or an empty space. By using both the first and second portions ofthe identification information, the present technology enableseffective, secure management of multiple energy storage devices amongmultiple stations operating in various modes.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 100 in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosed technology. The system 100 includes afirst station 101, a second station 103, and a server 105. The firststation 101 and second station 103 can communicate with the server 105via a network 107. The first and second stations 101, 103 are configuredto receive, charge, and provide multiple energy storage devices forexchange. The energy storage devices can be used to power authorizedvehicles such as vehicle 109. The first station 101 can operate in afirst operational mode (e.g., “normal” mode) or a second operationalmode (e.g., “milk rune” mode). In different operational modes, the firststation 101 manages the energy storage devices to be provided indifferent ways.

When the first station 101 operates in the first operational mode, auser can go to the station to exchange a depleted energy storage devicefor a sufficiently-charged one. After receiving the depleted energystorage device, the first station 101 copies the identificationinformation of the depleted energy storage device to thesufficiently-charged energy storage device.

When the first station 101 operates in the second operational mode, asufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 can be removed from thefirst station 101 without adding identification information of adepleted energy storage device. Instead, a “prefix” or “first portion”is added in the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10.Embodiments of the “prefix” or “first portion” are discussed in detailbelow. The sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 can then bedelivered to the vehicle 109 to power the same. After thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 becomes a depleted energystorage device 12, it can be used to exchange another energy storagedevice (e.g., at the second station 103). The system 100 includes asecurity mechanism to manage the energy storage devices in the system100. The security mechanism can be implemented by the first station 101and the vehicle 109. In some embodiments, the server 105 can alsofacilitate implementing the security mechanism.

First, at the station side, the first station 101 implements thesecurity mechanism to make sure that the sufficiently-charged energystorage device 10 removed from the first station 101 can only be used topower the authorized vehicle 109. Second, at the vehicle side, thesecurity mechanism includes only enabling power to be drawn from thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 unless certain criteriaare met, such as a match between identification information 1001 fromthe energy storage device 10 and vehicle information 1091 from thevehicle 109. In some embodiments, the identification information 1001 iscalled a “subscription ID at the battery side,” whereas the vehicleinformation 1091 is called a “subscription ID” at the vehicle side.”Details of the security mechanism with respect to operational modes arediscussed below.

(A) First Operational or “Normal” Mode

(i) First Station Side Security Mechanism

When the first station 101 is operating under the first operational modeor the “normal” mode, a user first inserts a depleted energy storagedevice to the first station 101 to exchange the sufficiently-chargedenergy storage device 10. The first station 101 then reads theidentification information from (the data storage coupled to) theinserted, depleted energy storage device and stores that asidentification information 1001 in (the data storage coupled to) thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 to be provided to theuser. In such embodiments, the first station 101 copies the wholeidentification information from the inserted, depleted energy storagedevice and stores it to the sufficiently-charged energy storage device10 to be provided.

(ii) Vehicle Side Security Mechanism

When the user later inserts the sufficiently-charged energy storagedevice 10 in the vehicle 109, a processor (e.g., an engine control unit,ECU) of the vehicle 109 verifies whether the identification information1001 of the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 matches thevehicle identification 1091 of the vehicle 109. If so, the processorthen permits the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 toprovide power to the vehicle 109. If not, the processor can instruct thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 not to provide powerand/or send a notice or an alarm to the server 105, a portable device(e.g., a smartphone of the user associated with the vehicle 109), and/orother recipients predetermined by an operator of the system 100.

(iii) Second Station Side Security Mechanism

After the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 becomes adepleted or non-sufficiently-charged energy storage device 12, it can bebrought to the second station 103 (which operates in the normal mode)for an exchange. When the depleted energy storage device 12 is insertedin the second station 103, the second station 103 checks theidentification information 1001 and verifies whether the identificationinformation 1001 matches the vehicle identification 1091 of the vehicle109. If so, the second station 103 accepts the depleted energy storagedevice 12 and approves the exchange. If not, the second station 103rejects the exchange and can send a notice or an alarm to the server105, a portable device, and/or other recipients predetermined by theoperator of the system 100.

(B) Second Operational or “Milk-Run” Mode

(i) First Station Side Security Mechanism

When the first station 101 is operating under the second operationalmode or a “milk-run” mode, the first station 101 allows an authorizedperson to acquire the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10without first inserting one (e.g., depleted or not sufficiently-charged)energy storage device. The authorized person can be, for example, aservice crew, a person who needs to acquire a sufficiently-chargedbattery to “save” a vehicle with a depleted battery, a battery deliverservice provider, etc.

In such embodiments, the authorized person can first communicate withthe first station 101 and request for the sufficiently-charged energystorage device 10 (e.g., asking for a battery with more than 50%, 90%,or 98% State of Charge, SoC). For example, the authorized person cancommunicate with the first station 101 by a user interface (e.g., atouchscreen display, a panel, a keypad, other suitable input devices,etc.), via a portable device, and/or via the server 105. In someexamples, the authorized person can make a reservation for thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 prior to be physically atthe first station 101.

Upon receiving the request and verify the identity of the authorizedperson, the first station 101 identifies the sufficiently-charged energystorage device 10 therein and then adjusts the identificationinformation 1001 in (the data storage coupled to) thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10.

More particularly, the first station 10 can set the first portion of theidentification information 1001 as prefix “ABC,” which is indicative ofthat the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 can be used topower any vehicle belonging to group “ABC” (e.g., vehicles associatedwith “ABC” vehicle-sharing group). In some implementations, the firststation 101 can put a universal identifier (e.g., “000000,” “888888,” or“XXXXXX”) in the second portion of the identification information. Insome embodiments, the first station 101 can let the second portion be“null” or leave it empty. When the identification information 1001 ofthe sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 is set, the authorizedperson can then remove the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10from the first station 101. In some implementations, the authorizedperson can request more than one energy storage device at a time.

(ii) Vehicle Side Security Mechanism

When the authorized user later inserts the sufficiently-charged energystorage device 10 in the vehicle 109, the processor of the vehicle 109can first verify whether the first portion (e.g., prefix or “ABC”) ofthe identification information 1001 of the sufficiently-charged energystorage device 10 matches the first portion of the vehicleidentification 1091 of the vehicle 109. If so, the processor thenpermits the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 to providepower to the vehicle 109.

Further, the processor of the vehicle 109 stores the second portion(e.g., a unique serial number of a vehicle, such as “123456) of thevehicle identification 1091 in the second portion of the identificationinformation 1001 of the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10.By this arrangement, the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10can be later exchanged in a station (e.g., the second station 103)operating in the normal mode.

If the first portion of the identification information 1001 of thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 does not match the firstportion of the vehicle identification 1091 of the vehicle 109, theprocessor can instruct the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10not to provide power and/or send a notice or an alarm to the server 105,a portable device (e.g., a smartphone of the user associated with thevehicle 109), and/or other suitable recipients.

(iii) Second Station Side Security Mechanism

After the sufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 becomes thedepleted or non-sufficiently-charged energy storage device 12, it can bebrought to the second station 103 (which operates in the firstoperational mode) for an exchange. When the depleted energy storagedevice 12 is inserted in the second station 103, the second station 103checks the identification information 1001 and verifies whether thesecond portion of the identification information 1001 has been updatedby the vehicle 109. If so, the second station 103 accepts the depletedenergy storage device 12 and approves the exchange. If not, the secondstation 103 rejects the exchange and can send a notice or an alarm tothe server 105, a portable device, and/or other recipients predeterminedby the operator of the system 100.

The foregoing arrangement enables multiple energy-storage-exchangestations to be operated under the first operational and secondoperational modes in the same time. It is advantageous because some ofthe multiple energy-storage-exchange stations can be switched from the“normal” mode to the “milk-run” mode when necessary, withoutinterrupting the rest of the stations (which continue to operate underthe “normal” mode).

For example, a battery-delivery-service crew needs to replace fourdepleted batteries for two electric vehicles (e.g., belong to “ABC”company) at various locations in Area X. Depending on availability(and/or other factors such as battery demand, exchange price, etc.), thecrew can pick up two sufficiently-charged batteries at station X1 andtwo sufficiently-charged ones at station X2. When the crew picks up thebatteries, the operational modes of stations X1 and X2 are switched fromthe normal mode to the milk-run mode based on the request sent by thecrew. After the pick-up, the operational modes of stations X1 and X2 areswitched back to the normal mode. The crew can then start a “milk run”to deliver these batteries. As a result, the “milk run” does notsubstantially interrupt normal battery exchange activities at stationsX1 and X2. In some embodiments, there can be multiple “milk runs”performed at the same time.

In some embodiments, the server 105 can communicate with the first andsecond stations 101, 103 and/or the vehicle 109 to facilitate thesecurity mechanism or authentication processes. For example, the server105 can verify the identity of the person who attempts to remove thesufficiently-charged energy storage device 10 from the first station 101under the “milk-run” mode (e.g., verifying the identity based on theinformation included in the request sent from the person). In anotherembodiment, the server 105 can communicate with the vehicle 109 and thesecond station 103 to verify that the depleted energy storage device 12has been inserted in the vehicle 10. The server 105 can also help verifythat the identification information 1001 of the depleted energy storagedevice 12 has been updated by the vehicle 109.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 200 in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosed technology. As shown, the system 200includes one or more battery exchange stations 201A-D, a main server203, a database 205, and a network 207. As shown, the battery exchangestations 201A, 201D are wirelessly coupled to the main server 203 viathe network 207. The battery exchange stations 201B, 201C are coupled tothe main server 203 via the network 207 via wired connections. The mainserver 203 is further coupled to the database 205, which can storeinformation for managing batteries in the system 200. The informationfor managing batteries can include, for example, battery identificationinformation (e.g., the identification information 1001) and vehicleidentification (e.g., the vehicle identification 1091) discussed herein.

Using the battery exchange station 201A as an example, in theillustrated embodiment, the station 201A can include a battery exchangerack 213 and a user interface 215 (e.g., a display) positioned thereon.As shown, the battery exchange rack 213 can include eight battery slots217 a-h to accommodate batteries. During operation, there are only sixbattery slots (e.g., slots 217 a, 217 b, 217 d, 217 e, 217 f, and 217 h)are occupied by batteries, and the rest two slots (e.g., slots 217 c and217 g) are reserved for a user to insert batteries to be exchanged(e.g., depleted, low power batteries). In some embodiments, the batteryexchange stations 201A-D can have different arrangements such asdifferent numbers of racks, displays, and/or slots. In some embodiments,the battery exchange stations 201A-D can include modular components(e.g., modular racks, modular displays, etc.) that enable an operator toconveniently install or expand the battery exchange stations 201A-D. Thebattery exchange stations 201A-D can be electrically coupled to one ormore power sources (e.g., power grid, power lines, power storage, powerstation/substations, etc.) to receive electric power to charge thebatteries positioned therein and to perform other operations (e.g., tocommunicate with the main server 203).

In some embodiments, the station 201A allows a user to remove or inserta particular number of batteries (e.g., two) in one transaction. Inother embodiments, however, the station 201A can allow a user to removeor insert other numbers (e.g., one, three, four, etc.) of batteries inone transaction. In some embodiments, the station 201 can have a lockingmechanism for securing the batteries positioned therein. In someembodiments, the station 201 can be implemented without the lockingmechanism.

In some embodiments, the main server 203 can be an edge server thatreceives client requests and coordinates fulfillment of those requeststhrough other servers, such as servers 209A-C. The servers 209A-C arefurther coupled to databases 211A-C. Although each of the main server203 and the servers 209A-C is displayed logically as a single server,these servers can each be a distributed computing environmentencompassing multiple computing devices located at the same or atgeographically disparate physical locations.

In some embodiments, the main server 203 and the servers 209A-C can eachact as a server or client to other server/client devices. As shown, themain server 203 connects to the database 205. The servers 209A-C caneach connect to one of the databases 211A-C. As discussed above, each ofthe main server 203 and the servers 211A-C can correspond to a group ofservers, and each of these servers can share a database or can have itsown database.

The databases 205, 211A-C can store information associated with thepresent disclosure (e.g., battery identification information,vehicle/device identification collected by the main server 203,information analyzed by the main server 203, information generated bythe main server 203, user account information, user battery plans, userhistories, user behavior, user habits, user preferences, etc.). In someembodiments, at least one of the databases 211A-C can be publiclyaccessible databases (e.g., weather forecast database, travel alertdatabase, traffic information database, location service database, mapdatabase, etc.) maintained by government or private entities. In someembodiments, at least one of the databases 211A-C can be privatedatabases that provide proprietary information (e.g., user account, usercredit history, user subscription information, etc.). In someembodiments, the servers 209A-C and/or the databases 211A-C are operatedby a cloud service provider, and the main server 203 and/or the database205 are operated by a battery service provider (e.g., who offers a usermultiple battery exchange plans).

The network 207 can be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), but it can also be other wired or wireless networks. The network207 can be the Internet or some other public or private network. Thebattery exchange stations 201A-D can be connected to the network 207through a network interface, such as by wired or wireless communication.While the connections between the main server 203 and the servers 209A-Care shown as separate connections, these connections can be any kind oflocal, wide area, wired, or wireless network, including the network 207or a separate public or private network. In some embodiments, thenetwork 207 includes a secured network that is used by a private entity(e.g., a company, etc.).

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a station 300 in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosed technology. As shown, the station 300includes a processor 301, a memory 303, a user interface 305, acommunication component 307, a battery management component 309, one ormore sensors 311, a storage component 313, and a charging component 315coupled to eight battery slots 317 a-h. The processor 301 is configuredto interact with the memory 303 and other components (e.g., components305-317) in the station 300. The memory 303 is coupled to the processor301 and is configured to store instructions for controlling othercomponents or other information in the station 300.

The user interface 305 is configured to interact with a user (e.g.,receiving a user input and presenting information to the user). In someembodiments, the user interface 305 can be implemented as a touchscreendisplay. In other embodiments, the user interface 305 can include othersuitable user interface devices (such as a keyboard/keypad with adisplay). The storage component 313 is configured to store, temporarilyor permanently, information, data, files, or signals associated with thestation system 300 (e.g., information measured by the sensors 313,information collected by the battery slots 317 a-h, charginginstructions; user information, etc.). The communication component 307is configured to communicate with other devices (e.g., a vehicle ordevice to be powered by a battery, a server 33, other stations, a mobiledevice 31 carried by a user or a service crew, etc.).

The battery management component 309 is configured to manage and controlthe batteries positioned in the battery slots 317 a-h. The batterymanagement component 309 can implement a battery security mechanism(e.g., the security mechanism discussed above with reference to FIG. 1)for the batteries positioned therein. In some embodiments, the batterymanagement component 309 can manage the batteries based on predeterminedinstructions or guidance stored in the station 300 (e.g., in the storagecomponent 313). In some embodiments, the battery management component309 can periodically communicate with the server 33 to request updateinstructions.

In some embodiments, the battery management component 309 can also beconfigured to collect information regarding the batteries positioned inthe battery slots 317 a-h, information regarding the station 300,information regarding one or more power sources 35, informationregarding a user (e.g., received from the mobile device 31 via thecommunication component 307), and/or information regarding the vehicle30. The battery management component 309 can transmit or upload thecollected information to the server 33 for further analysis or process.

The sensors 311 are configured to measure information associated withthe station 300 (e.g., working temperature, environmental conditions,power connection, network connection, etc.). The sensors 311 can also beconfigured to monitor the batteries positioned in the battery slots 317a-h. The measured information can be sent to the battery managementcomponent 309 and the server 33 for further analysis.

The charging component 315 is configured to control a charging processfor each of the batteries positioned in the battery slots 317 a-h. Insome embodiments, the station 300 can include other numbers of batteryslots. The battery slots 317 a-h are configured to accommodate andcharge the batteries positioned and/or locked therein. The chargingcomponent 315 receives power from the power sources 35 and then uses thepower to charge the batteries positioned in the battery slots 317 a-h.

In some embodiments, when the user positions a battery in one of thebattery slots 317 a-h, the station 300 can detect the existence of thatbattery and pull information therefrom. For example, the batterymanagement component 309 can pull information associated with thatbattery (e.g., identification information of the battery, battery usagehistory, charging cycles, full charge capacity, vehicle information ofthe vehicles that the battery has provided power to or been associatedwith, user activities that the battery has been involved, etc.) from abattery memory inside, or coupled to, the battery.

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a vehicle 30 in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosed technology. The vehicle 30 can beimplemented as an electric scooter, an electric car, etc. The vehicle 30includes a processor 319, a memory 321, a battery 323, a motor 325, aninput device 327, a dashboard display 329, a storage component 331, oneor more sensors 333, and a communication component 335. The processor319 is configured to interact with the memory 321 and other components(e.g., components 323-335) in the vehicle 30. The memory 321 is coupledto the processor 319 and is configured to store instructions forcontrolling other components or other information in the vehicle 30. Thestorage component 331 can have similar functions as the storagecomponent 313 or 207. The communication component 335 can have similarfunctions as the communication component 307 or storage component 313 or221. The dashboard display 329 is configured to visually presentinformation to a user (e.g., information associated with the vehicle30).

The battery 323 is configured to power the motor 325 such that the motor325 can move the vehicle 30. The battery 323 can be an exchangeablebattery. When the battery 323 is running out of power, a user of thevehicle 30 can exchange or swap the battery 323 at the station system300. For example, the user can remove the battery 323 from the vehiclesystem 30 and then position the battery 323 in one of the battery slots317 a-h (e.g., an empty one without a battery positioned therein). Theuser can then take a sufficiently- or fully-charged battery in thebattery slots 317 a-h and then install it in the vehicle system 30. Insome embodiments, the user can request a sufficiently- or fully-chargedbattery to be delivered to the vehicle 30 (see e.g., embodiments wherethe station operates in the “milk-run” mode). The battery 323 includes abattery memory 337 to store battery-related information (e.g., theidentification information 1001).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology. The method 400 is configured tofor authenticate an energy storage device. The method 400 can beimplemented by a vehicle (e.g., vehicle 109 or 30) or a device to bepowered by the energy storage device (e.g., a portable, smaller-sizedbattery exchange station, a portable kiosk, etc.). The method 400 startsat block 401 by receiving a first portion of identification informationstored in a data storage attached to the energy storage device. Theenergy storage device is configured to power the vehicle or the device.In some embodiments, the data storage can be positioned in a housing ofthe energy storage device and controlled by a controller of the energystorage device.

In some embodiments, the first portion can be indicative of a group ofdevices or vehicles that the device/vehicle belongs to. For example, thefirst portion can be a “prefix” or “CORP-K” indicating that the group iscompany K's vehicle-sharing fleet. The identification information caninclude a second portion to specify the particular authorized vehicle.For example, the second portion can be “435678922” which is a “uniqueserial number” for the authorized vehicle. As another example, thesecond portion can be a “universal identifier” such as “000000000” or“#########.” In another example, the second portion can be “null” or anempty space

At block 403, the method 400 continues by analyzing the first portion ofthe identification information at least partially based on a vehicleidentification/device identification of the vehicle/device. In someembodiments where the energy storage device is a battery, the “deviceidentification” or “vehicle identification” can be a counterpart of the“identification information” at the device/vehicle side. The deviceidentification can also include first and second portions correspondingto those of the identification information at the battery side. In suchembodiments, analyzing the first portion of the identificationinformation includes comparing it with the first portion of the deviceinformation to see if they match.

At block 405, the method 400 continues by updating a second portion ofthe identification information stored in the data storage attached tothe energy storage device based on a result of analyzing the firstportion of the identification information. For example, if the result ofthe analysis shows a “match” between the first portions at the batteryside and the device/vehicle side, it shows that the energy storagedevice is authorized to power the device/vehicle. In other words, thedevice/vehicle and the energy storage device are both authenticated. Theprocess can then move forward to update the second portion of theidentification information (e.g., at battery side), such that the energystorage device can be exchanged at a station operating under a “normal”mode (see e.g., the second station 103 in FIG. 1).

Without updating the second portion of the identification information,the energy storage device cannot be used to exchange another energystorage device and/or be charged in a station operating under the“normal” mode. In such embodiments, the energy storage devices withoutupdated second portions can be brought to either (i) authorizedvehicles/devices, or (ii) a station operating under a “milk-run” mode.

If the analysis shows a “no match,” then the energy storage device isnot authorized to power the device/vehicle. An alarm or a notice can begenerated to address this issue.

Steps 401, 403, and 405 are steps performed at the vehicle/device side.In some embodiments, before Steps 401, 403, and 405, the energy storagedevice can be prepared and conditioned by a firstenergy-storage-exchange station (e.g., the first station 101 in FIG. 1).In response to a request (e.g., asking for a 90% charged battery for avehicle in vehicle sharing group “ABC”), the first station can updatethe identification information stored in the data storage attached tothe energy storage device. For example, the first station can write“ABC” in the first portion of the identification information and write“000000” (i.e., a universal identifier) in the second portion of theidentification information of the energy storage device. In someembodiments, the second portion of the identification information can beerased or set as “null” or an empty space. By this arrangement, theenergy storage device is set to be used for any device/vehicle invehicle sharing group “ABC.”

In some embodiments, the request can be sent from a portable deviceassociated with the vehicle/device to be powered. For example, anoperator of the vehicle/device can send the request from his or hersmartphone.

In some embodiments, the request can be manually entered at the firststation via a user input. For example, a service crew can input therequest (e.g., asking for three batteries with more than 95% SoC) beforestarting a “milk run” (e.g., delivering batteries to multiplevehicles/devices that belong to one or more groups).

In some embodiments, the request can be sent from the vehicle/device.For example, if a processor of the vehicle detects that its currentbattery is low and determines that it will not be able to make it to anearby station for exchange, the processor can initiate a process ofsending such requests to a station or a server. In some embodiments, theserver can coordinate with multiple stations to prioritize and respondto such requests.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method 500 in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology. The method 500 is for operatingan electric vehicle powered by an energy storage device. The method 500starts at block 501 by receiving, by a processor of the electricvehicle, a first portion of identification information stored in a datastorage attached to the energy storage device.

At block 503, the method 500 continues by receiving, by the processor ofthe electric vehicle, a vehicle identification of the electric vehicle.In some embodiments, the vehicle identification can be stored in astorage component in the vehicle/device (e.g., the storage component 331in FIG. 3B) or from a server (e.g., the server 33 in FIG. 3B).

At block 505, the method 500 incudes comparing the first portion of theidentification information with the vehicle identification of theelectric vehicle. The first portion of the identification informationcan include a prefix. The prefix can correspond to a group of electricvehicles which the electric vehicle belongs to.

At block 507, the method 500 continues by updating, by the processor ofthe electric vehicle, a second portion of the identification informationstored in the data storage attached to the energy storage device in anevent that the first portion of the identification information matchesthe vehicle identification. At block 509, the method 500 incudesenabling, by the processor of the electric vehicle, the energy storagedevice to power the electric vehicle. Updating the second portion of theidentification information can include updating a unique serial numbercorresponding to the vehicle identification of the electric vehicle.

In some embodiments, the method further includes transmitting a signalto a server in an event that the first portion of the identificationinformation does not match the vehicle identification.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology. The method 600 is for operatingan energy-storage-exchange station. The method 600 starts at block 601by changing, by a processor of the energy-storage-exchange station, anoperational mode of the energy-storage-exchange station from a firstoperational mode to a second operational mode in response to a request.

At block 603, the method 600 continues by updating, by the processor ofthe energy-storage-exchange station, a first portion of identificationinformation stored in a data storage attached to an energy storagedevice in the energy-storage-exchange station. The first portion of theidentification information corresponds to a device identification of adevice (e.g., indicative of a group of devices which the device belongsto, such as a fleet of vehicles). The energy storage device isconfigured to power the device.

At block 605, the method 600 incudes enabling the energy storage deviceto be removed from the energy-storage-exchange station. In someembodiments, at block 607, the method 600 can continue by changing theoperational mode of the energy-storage-exchange station from the secondoperational mode to the first operational mode.

The method 600 can further include updating by the processor of theenergy-storage-exchange station, a second portion of identificationinformation by (i) replacing the second portion of the identificationinformation by a universal identifier; or (ii) erasing the secondportion of the identification information.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method 700 in accordance withembodiments of the disclosed technology. The method 700 is for managingan energy-storage-exchange station. The method 700 starts at block 701by receiving a request for exchanging a first energy storage device inan electric vehicle.

At block 703, the method 700 continues by receiving a vehicleidentification of the electric vehicle. At block 705, the method 700incudes identifying an energy-storage-exchange station based on therequest. At block 707, the method 500 continues by authorizing theenergy-storage-exchange station to prepare a second energy storagedevice.

In some embodiment, the second energy storage device can be prepared by(i) storing part of the vehicle identification in a first portion ofidentification information of the second energy storage device in a datastorage attached to the second energy storage device; and (ii) storing auniversal identifier corresponds to the vehicle identification of theelectric vehicle in a second portion of the identification informationof the second energy storage device in the data storage attached to thesecond energy storage device.

In some embodiment, the method 700 further includes receiving a signalto confirm that a unique serial number of the electric vehicle has beenstored in the second portion of the identification information of thesecond energy storage device in the data storage attached to the secondenergy storage device.

In the embodiments discussed herein, a “component” can include aprocessor, control logic, a digital signal processor, a computing unit,and/or any other suitable device that is either configured or isprogrammed to execute instructions to perform the functionalitydescribed above.

In some embodiments, one or more energy-storage-exchange stations can bedesignated to constantly operate under the “milk run” mode. For example,such stations can locate at or be close to a service or maintenancecenter for service crews. In some embodiments, the present technologyenables a user (who is not a service crew) to pick up energy storagedevices under the “milk run” mode. For example, once authorized, theuser can pick up an energy storage device at a station without insertingone to “rescue” a vehicle away from the station. In some embodiments,multiple users can be included in a user group (e.g., friends, familymembers, persons in a trip, etc.), and the present technology canauthorize the users in the user group to pick up energy storage devicesfor other users under the “milk run” mode.

Although the present technology has been described with reference tospecific exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized that the presenttechnology is not limited to the embodiments described but can bepracticed with modification and alteration within the spirit and scopeof the appended claims. Accordingly, the specification and drawings areto be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A method for authenticating an energy storage device, comprising:receiving a first portion of identification information stored in a datastorage attached to the energy storage device, wherein the energystorage device is configured to power a device; analyzing the firstportion of the identification information at least partially based on adevice identification of the device; and updating a second portion ofthe identification information stored in the data storage attached tothe energy storage device based on a result of analyzing the firstportion of the identification information.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein the energy storage device is retrieved from anenergy-storage-exchange station, and wherein the energy-storage-exchangestation is configured to update the identification information stored inthe data storage attached to the energy storage device in response to arequest.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the identificationinformation includes replacing, by the energy-storage-exchange station,the second portion of the identification information by a universalidentifier and updating, by the energy-storage-exchange station, thefirst portion of the identification information based on the request. 4.The method of claim 2, wherein updating the identification informationincludes erasing, by the energy-storage-exchange station, the secondportion of the identification information and updating, by theenergy-storage-exchange station, the first portion of the identificationinformation based on the request.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein therequest is sent from a portable device associated with the electricvehicle.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the request is received bythe energy-storage-exchange station from a user input.
 7. The method ofclaim 2, wherein the device is an electric vehicle, and wherein therequest is sent from the electric vehicle.
 8. The method of claim 2,wherein the request is sent from a server, wherein the server isconfigured to communicate with a plurality of energy-storage-exchangestations including the energy-storage-exchange station.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the first portion of the identification informationincludes a prefix, and wherein the prefix corresponds to a first portionof the device identification of the device.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the prefix corresponds to a group of devices which the devicebelongs to.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is an electricvehicle, and wherein updating the second portion of the identificationinformation includes updating, by the electric vehicle, a unique serialnumber corresponding to the device identification of the electricvehicle.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second portion of theidentification information includes a universal identifier or a uniqueserial number.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein in an event that thesecond portion of the identification information includes the uniqueserial number of the device, the electric energy storage device isauthorized to be charged in an energy-storage-exchange station when theenergy-storage-exchange station is operating under a first operationalmode.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein in an event that the secondportion of the identification information includes the universalidentifier of the electric vehicle, the electric energy storage deviceis not authorized to be charged in an energy-storage-exchange stationwhen the energy-storage-exchange station is operating under the firstoperational mode.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein, when theenergy-storage-exchange station is operating under a second operationalmode, the energy-storage-exchange station is configured to update thesecond portion of the identification information by replacing the secondportion of the identification information by a universal identifier. 16.The method of claim 14, wherein, when the energy-storage-exchangestation is operating under a second operational mode, theenergy-storage-exchange station is configured to update the secondportion of the identification information by erasing the second portionof the identification information.
 17. A method for operating anelectric vehicle, comprising: receiving, by a processor of the electricvehicle, a first portion of identification information stored in a datastorage attached to the energy storage device; receiving, by theprocessor of the electric vehicle, a vehicle identification of theelectric vehicle; comparing the first portion of the identificationinformation with the vehicle identification of the electric vehicle;updating, by the processor of the electric vehicle, a second portion ofthe identification information stored in the data storage attached tothe energy storage device in an event that the first portion of theidentification information matches the vehicle identification; andenabling, by the processor of the electric vehicle, the energy storagedevice to power the electric vehicle.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising: transmitting a signal to a server in an event thatthe first portion of the identification information does not match thevehicle identification.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the firstportion of the identification information includes a prefix, and whereinthe prefix corresponds to the vehicle identification of the electricvehicle.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the prefix corresponds to agroup of electric vehicles which the electric vehicle belongs to. 21.The method of claim 17, wherein updating the second portion of theidentification information includes updating a unique serial numbercorresponding to the vehicle identification of the electric vehicle. 22.A method for operating an energy-storage-exchange station, comprising:changing, by a processor of the energy-storage-exchange station, anoperational mode of the energy-storage-exchange station from a firstoperational mode to a second operational mode in response to a request;updating, by the processor of the energy-storage-exchange station, afirst portion of identification information stored in a data storageattached to an energy storage device in the energy-storage-exchangestation, wherein the first portion of the identification informationcorresponds to a device identification of a device, and wherein theenergy storage device is configured to power the device; enabling theenergy storage device to be removed from the energy-storage-exchangestation; and changing the operational mode of theenergy-storage-exchange station from the second operational mode to thefirst operational mode.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the firstportion of the identification information includes a prefix, and whereinthe device is an electric vehicle, and wherein the prefix corresponds toa group of electric vehicles which the electric vehicle belongs to. 24.The method of claim 22, further comprising updating by the processor ofthe energy-storage-exchange station, a second portion of identificationinformation by replacing the second portion of the identificationinformation by a universal identifier.
 25. The method of claim 22,further comprising updating by the processor of theenergy-storage-exchange station, a second portion of identificationinformation by erasing the second portion of the identificationinformation.
 26. The method of claim 22, wherein in an event that asecond portion of the identification information includes a uniqueserial number of the device, the electric energy storage device isauthorized to be charged in the energy-storage-exchange station when theenergy-storage-exchange station is operating under the first operationalmode.
 27. The method of claim 22, wherein in an event that a secondportion of the identification information includes a universalidentifier of the electric vehicle, the electric energy storage deviceis not authorized to be charged in the energy-storage-exchange stationwhen the energy-storage-exchange station is operating under the firstoperational mode.
 28. A method for managing an energy-storage-exchangestation, comprising: receiving a request for exchanging a first energystorage device in an electric vehicle; receiving a vehicleidentification of the electric vehicle; identifying anenergy-storage-exchange station based on the request; and authorizingthe energy-storage-exchange station to prepare a second energy storagedevice by: storing part of the vehicle identification in a first portionof identification information of the second energy storage device in adata storage attached to the second energy storage device; and storing auniversal identifier corresponds to the vehicle identification of theelectric vehicle in a second portion of the identification informationof the second energy storage device in the data storage attached to thesecond energy storage device.
 29. The method of claim 28, furthercomprising receiving a signal to confirm that a unique serial number ofthe electric vehicle has been stored in the second portion of theidentification information of the second energy storage device in thedata storage attached to the second energy storage device.